Abraham Lincoln

A Republican who fought and won the battle against slavery!

It is deplorable to listen to Democrats today claiming to be advocates for Black Americans (conveniently every four years) while at the same time doing nothing to equip them with the right set of tools to rise above poverty. The first black president is equally to blame stating in a recent interview with Bill O'Reily "I make speeches about this issue all of the time". Well Mr. Obama, it will take a lot more than speeches to reverse statistics like 74% of all black children are born out of wedlock and 82% of all prisoners are black. Simply throwing money at the problem will not solve the systemic cultural problems facing the black community in America.

On the other side of the isle, Republicans today ignore or fail to see that this is a huge opportunity. A chance to bring to light - that Democrats only seek to embed black Americans further into the clutches of poverty. They accomplish this goal by handing out entitlements (at the expense of the American taxpayer) and breeding a culture of dependency that will perpetuate itself forever. Further evidence was brought to light yesterday when the White House Economic Advisor to the President announced that although the CBO revealed that Obamacare will create a net loss of 2.3 million jobs, this nimrod claimed the loss of jobs will, "create an opportunity for Americans to work less." Are you kidding me? This is the administration's spin on negative economic forecasts?

For the Record

May I take a moment to remind all Americans on a bit of history.

It was our 16th President (A Republican) and a majority Republican House of Representatives that fought to abolish slavery and passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution on January 31, 1865.
As President, Lincoln built the Republican Party into a strong national organization. Further, he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.

On the contrary, it was Southern Democrats who fought the Civil War at a huge loss to American lives to keep blacks enslaved and their aristocracy alive. Incidentally, they didn't want women to vote either. This is the real history of the Democratic Party in America.

Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it."

Lincoln thought secession illegal, and was willing to use force to defend Federal law and the Union. When Confederate batteries fired on Fort Sumter and forced its surrender, he called on the states for 75,000 volunteers. Four more slave states joined the Confederacy but four remained within the Union. The Civil War had begun.

The son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning. Five months before receiving his party's nomination for President, he sketched his life: Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge while working on a farm, splitting rails for fences, and keeping store at New Salem, Illinois. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature, and rode the circuit of courts for many years. His law partner said of him, "His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest."

A Lesson Learned

So it is my humble opinion that at this stage in history, Republicans should remind our nation who it was that fought a horrific civil war to ensure that all Americans are treated equally. It was our 16th President Abraham Lincoln (a Republican) and the Republican Congress that forged this crucial battle.
Lincoln never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue. This he stated most movingly in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Don't forget that although Democrats claim to support equal rights, history has proven that to be a false promise 150 years ago and it continues today. Democrats want to perpetuate the Nanny State and the dependency it creates and continue to enslave black Americans - to get their vote. Period.
Black American's should learn from history and flee from the Democratic Party if they ever want to get the help they need - from Republican men and women willing to help them achieve the American Dream.

Gary S. DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Polar Vortex

A Crystal Ball or a Lucky Guess?

 

In December I was alerted to a story that profiled record setting temperatures at the Antarctic Circle. The actual temperature was 135 degrees below zero. That report actually preceded the national story of a group of Global Warming zealots headed to the same spot to proove their theory that the earth is warming and is ending soon based on data collected over the past few decades.

 

Hm mm. Fast forward a few weeks and the group of Global Warming idiots had to be rescued by helicopter because a Chinese ice-breaker was forced to abandoned their rescue efforts because they got stuck in (get this) record breaking ice pack.

 

Today the entire continent of North America is under a record setting deep freeze that has not been felt in decades. So serious is this blast of cold air that weather forecasters are warning folks in the upper Midwest to stay inside and don't even try to start your cars because the anti-freeze in your vehicle is probably frozen solid.

 

What is causing this situation? 

 

Meteorologists are calling the phenomenon a Polar Vortex. For centuries this spinning mass of cold air travels clockwise in a circular motion and stays year round at the top of the globe. In what meteorologists describe as an unprecedented case, the vortex has split in half - one portion blasting south into the upper 48 states of the US and the other half blasting south into Russia.

 

So where are the global warming zealots now? You guessed it. They are glad to be warming themselves by the fire and glad as hell they were rescued. Imagine if the helicopters would have failed at their attempt ... the headline would have read ...

 

Global warming zealots freeze in Antarctica

Gary DeMoss

IN MY RIGHT MIND

 



OMG! GLOBAL COOLING

OMG GLOBAL COOLING - WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

ARE WE HEADED FOR ANOTHER ICE AGE?

Feeling chilly? Here's cold comfort: You could be in East Antarctica which new data says set a record for "soul-crushing" cold. Try 135.8 degrees Fahrenheit below zero; that's 93.2 degrees below zero Celsius, which sounds only slightly toastier. Better yet, don't try it. That's so cold scientists say it hurts to breathe. A new look at NASA satellite data revealed that Earth set a new record for coldest temperature recorded. It happened in August 2010 when it hit -135.8 degrees. Then on July 31 of this year, it came close again: -135.3 degrees.

The old record had been -128.6 degrees, which is -89.2 degrees Celsius. Ice scientist Ted Scambos at the National Snow and Ice Data Center said the new record is "50 degrees colder than anything that has ever been seen in Alaska or Siberia or certainly North Dakota. It's more like you'd see on Mars on a nice summer day in the poles," Scambos said, from the American Geophysical Union scientific meeting in San Francisco Monday, where he announced the data. "I'm confident that these pockets are the coldest places on Earth." However, it won't be in the Guinness Book of World Records because these were satellite measured, not from thermometers, Scambos said. "Thank God, I don't know how exactly it feels," Scambos said. But he said scientists do routinely make naked 100 degree below zero dashes outside in the South Pole, so people can survive that temperature for about three minutes.

Most of the time researchers need to breathe through a snorkel that brings air into the coat through a sleeve and warms it up "so you don't inhale by accident" the cold air, Scambos said.
On Monday, the coldest U.S. temperature was a relatively balmy 27 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in Yellowstone, Wyo., said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private firm Weather Underground.

"If you want soul-crushing cold, you really have to go overseas," Scambos said in a phone interview. "It's just a whole other level of cold because on that cold plateau, conditions are perfect."
Scambos said the air is dry, the ground chilly, the skies cloudless and cold air swoops down off a dome and gets trapped in a chilly lower spot "hugging the surface and sliding around."

My take on the global warming hype is that we've only measured weather for a little over a decade and the last mini ice age was 800 years ago in Europe ... so which way is it going? Up or Down?
And in the scope of the earth's timeline, the last two decades are not even a blip on the radar.

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Lift Off to Disaster

FOR DEMOCRATS ONLY

So you are one of those die-hard Democrats that given all of the failures of the website and the broken promises from Obama ... you still love your guy even though he's tanking in the polls, his trustworthyness and leadership approval rating is at or below 29% and he has LIED about virtually every element of his legislation.

 OK ... if you still support him even if the ship is sinking, why don't you go to the site and try to signup?

Go ahead ... you can verify if Obama's promise to lower your healthcare costs is a reality ... And your data is completely safe. Obama guarantee's it is secure!

 The link is listed right here ...

 

ObamaScare Signup

 

 

 





I DON'T WORK FOR YOU!

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was quoted during a tour of one of the Obamacare call centers today (responding to those in Congress and Citizens here in America who call for her resignation), "I don't work for those who are calling for me to resign". Well Ms. Sebelius ... I am one of those Americans whose hard earned tax dollars pay your salary and I think you and the HHS employees in charge of this contract and the firm you hired to build a failed website for over $300 million dollars should be held accountable for the dismal failure ... all under your watch!
Under your failed leadership your staff had three years to implement the site and everyone else in America (with any sense) feels you have dropped the ball on the launch of the Healthcare.gov website.

IT'S JUST A WEBSITE!

 

 

The dismal failures profiled by the Obama Administration as "technical glitches" are not the most absurd issue here. And I'm not surprised White House Press Secretary Jay Carney deflected concerns from both Liberal and Conservative Media outlets and continues to ignore and avoid any discussion of accountability.

What is a huge concern is we are not firing the firm who failed. Why not? You know in the private sector had a contractor failed in this manner, the customary remedy would be to make good on the technical guarantee and complete the project to the clients total satisfaction. What is the most astounding and irresponsible remedy that Sebelius proposes is to continue to pay the contractors to fix the site. It's not their money ... they just spend, spend, spend ... and don't give a damn if it costs more!

AND WHO DO THEY BLAME?

  



Finally, the firms that are responsible for this dismal failure were called to testify today to defend their website architecture and answer questions from a host of Congressmen grandstanding to give the appearance that they are concerned. Ha! This is the group who the day after the Government Shutdown approved $1.7B to Pakistan (the country who sheltered Osama Bin Laden)

Who did they blame? The government! Wait a minute. You fail at a job that you were paid over $300 million dollars. A government that is willing to pay you more to fix what you screwed up. And you blame your client? And the most bazaar element is that the client is willing to move forward as long as nobody is held accountable and nobody reveals who is really to blame ... The Obama and the Liberal Agenda. This debacle should make you mad as hell.

 

In 2014 Get the Scoundrels OUT!

 

Gary S. DeMoss

IN MY RIGHT MIND

 

Darwinian Award Nominee

 

And the Nominee Is ...

I can't make this stuff up ... really!

This past weekend I was one of the technical staff on the television crew covering the Baltimore Ravens football game with the Packers. The game wasn't going that well and the rain had just ended so the rest of the day was actually looking good ... except for the Ravens offense.
However, on our lunch break the generator operator came into the tent and sadly reported that his new IPad had been stolen right out of his truck. What is rather sad ... is that the crook made off with the computer with dozen's of police surrounding our location, over 50,000 football fans and within 100 yards of our TV set erected outside one of the main entrances to the stadium. Sad but true. We all thought our colleague would never see that IPad again.

Then this sad story takes an unpredictable turn. What we learned was that it is common on most IPad's that a warning message appears on the screen if you turn it on without the correct password. The note gives the person in front of the screen the owners contact information. Low and behold, within a hour the thief calls our colleague and tells him he has found his IPad and will meet him later at 9PM, "cause he can't leave the game until its over." Our colleague makes the arrangements and then comes into the tent to tell us the good news. Somehow our colleague reconsiders and decides to call the police. They come to the lunch tent and he tells the two Baltimore Police officers the story. The two officers chuckle to themselves but in a serious tone they tell our colleague in no uncertain terms ... "you are not going to meet this guy. It's a setup!"
So the two policemen wisely advise our colleague to call the thief back and tell him you are going to meet him at 2:15pm and that, "they will send an undercover officer in your place to retrieve the IPad."

Our colleague calls the thief back and describes the change in plans and says, "the boss is letting him take a taxi over to meet him." The thief agrees and then cautiously says, "you aren't going to send the cops here are you?" Our colleague replies, "Of course not!"
An hour later as the story is told by the Baltimore Police officers, "the undercover officer drove up to the meeting place and the suspect, along with three other thugs were waiting for your colleague." Further, "that the guy is a common thug, known to be a petty theft and has stolen dozens of items just like this one."

Like most criminals this guy and his thugs had nothing better to do than to steal and attempt to harm innocent law-abiding citizens. If they would simply use that energy to do something productive they might just turn out to be model citizens.

Our colleague was going to be jumped, robbed, beat-up and perhaps worse - a senseless victim of a violent crime. In this case the advice and work of the Baltimore Police Department and the careful work of these two officers probably saved our colleagues life! Thank you men!

So I guess there are several lessons to learn by this event ...

Don't leave any valuable item in plain site even if there are thousands of "good folks" around.

Call the police and don't try to be a hero or become a victim.

If you are a thief ... don't trust your victim!

This guy gets my vote for the Darwinian Award for 2013


IN MY RIGHT MIND
Gary S DeMoss

Brinkmanship - WHAT CAN WE DO?

Brinkmanship 2.0

So here we are again.
Back to political brinkmanship on Capitol Hill.
No continuing resolution and no debt ceiling increase.
Millions of Americans are affected.
Congress and the President refuse to take responsibility.

What is different about the current impasse is that unlike the seventeen other Debt Ceiling crisis' the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, the Commander in Chief is unwilling to negotiate.

Unwilling to negotiate?

Yes, both President Obama (37% approval rating) and Senator Harry Reid (7% approval rating) have said repeatedly they will not negotiate.

WHAT?

Isn't that what a leader does? They negotiate and make the deal work for both parties. In most settings in corporate American boardrooms, members of organizations sit down around a conference table, they hash out their differences, find common ground and develop a solution that meets every ones best interest. That happens every day in America.
We pay our law makers on Capitol Hill a pretty good salary to do their jobs. And what do they do? They go on vacation knowing full well the CR and the Debt Ceiling was looming. How dare they! Then they return and blame each other for the crisis.

The Blame game continues!

Regardless of what side of the isle you are on something must be done to solve the impasse on Capitol Hill.

My suggestion to solve the debt ceiling crisis and the budget battle? This fall and for the mid-term elections in 2014 you and me ... all of us - can make a difference. Fire every damn one of them. No matter the party affiliation, no matter the state, no matter their record, let every single one of them know how we feel about their performance - or lack there of.

GET THE SCOUNDRELS OUT!

VOTE AGAINST EVERY INCUMBENT ON CAPITOL HILL IN 2014

Gary De Moss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Party on your dime?

$823,000 GSA Las Vegas Conference

Remember last fall the Justice Department had a huge conference and I made mention of the ourage that included an $16 Muffin? Well Agencies of our US Government seem to be in a contest to see who can waste more of your hard earned dollars.

This week the GSA has been rocked by a spending scandal that has revealed the highest ranking leaders of this fine agency are the ones behind the spending spree. These are the guys who contract for services for the US Government, you know the guys who are watching over every penny we spend.

The Chief of the General Services Administration, Martha N. Johnson resigned today amid yet another case of irresponsible spending by federal employees. A conference that featured a clown, a mind reader and a $31,208 reception. But wait ... there's more. $130,000 in travel expenses for six scouting trips. Wonder what they were scouting?  Robert A. Peck also fired had a private party in Peck's loft suite that cost over $2,000. Think that included the lap dance?

Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn) called the episode "a stupid and infuriating waste of taxpayer dollars". House Oversite and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) said it reflects the waste that exists in a bloated federal government." Well ai'nt that the kettle calling the pot black? Geez ... what is it going to take to stop irresponsible spending?

A Balanced Budget Amendment

Laws must be adopted and enforced to balance the budget and prevent deficit spending and we must weed out the employee's of the US Government that don't care about spending, "because it ain't their money."
Attitude's like this prevail because the Administrators and Cabinet level officials violate policies and serve as a poor example for their employee's. If high level deputies are spending like money grows on trees what do you think the guy at the bottom of the totem pole is doing? The sad truth is everyone is mismanaging US Taxpayer dollars and the behemoth US Government is too big to notice.

So What Now?

So the White House is embarrassed, Obama blirts out a 30 second soundbite, the story ends today and life on Capitol Hill goes back to business as usual.

WAIT A MINUTE

That is unless we get rid of every Congressman and Senator that doesn't speak up and do something about "BIG GOVERNMENT". The waste is larger than our deficit. If we would simply scale down and trim and get rid of wasteful spending we could start to wittle at the deficit.

There are many more radical ways to SHOCK the US back to reality but that would take cleaning the entire House and Senate and starting from scratch. If there is even one guy (or gal) left the abuse will continue.

Back to the Conference ... Did I mention the $5,600 for three semi-private catered in-room parties?$44 breakfasts (you know Holiday Inn Express it comes with the room guys) How about $75,000 for a "team building" exercise to build a bicycle. Geez Martha, you can buy the best bike in the world for three grand. Oh and $146,000 on catered food, $6,325 on commemorative coins to reward all participants for their work on the stimulus. Guys ... the word on the street is that didn't work. And to top off the last evening dinner, they all received "yearbooks" to the tune of $8,130. Boy it would have been swell to be there for the Kumba Yah book signing.

At the time of her appointment Ms. Johnson was quoted, Ethics, "is a big issue for me," she said at the time, adding that "it's right and it's good business" to be a "responsible steward of taxpayer dollars' because "they're trusting you with their pocketbooks."
Ms Johnson, I wouldn't trust you with my piggy bank let alone my wallet or my hard earned tax-dollars. Enter divine justice.

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Get the Scoundrels Out!

Obama and Congressional Disapproval

OK the new figure's are out and it doesn't look very good for Congress or the President.

According to current polling, Congress has an 11% approval rating still struggling to stay in double digits and Obama; less than 40% of Americans approve of the way he has handled the presidency.

Lets get this straight.

9 of 10 Americans think Congress is doing a terrible job. That is significant. And who wouldn't? They only show up on the job for 130 days a year or 2-3 days a week. They spend every dollar in sight and the money you have in your pocket. Any Bill they happen to pass that affects all Americans they are exempt from. They fight and bicker with each other and get nothing done. Hell, they haven't passed a budget in years, are not willing to reduce the deficit and can only pass a 60 day bill. What kind of Country can operate effectively in 60 days?

Now to Obama's dwindling numbers ... 6 out of 10 Americans think Obama has done a poor job. That makes sense when 4 out of 5 days he is campaigning; bashing Americans, our way of life and Republicans. With that rigorous agenda how do you expect him to have any time left to lead and help America? He spends Saturday planning how to skip town the following week and Sunday ... well it doesn't include Church!

So who are these folks who think Congress and the President are doing a great job?

Well lets do the math.

1 in 10 Americans think that Congress is doing a wonderful job. These folks could be categorized in several ways. Sheep, blind, ignorant, congressional staff, folks receiving bribes, people with their heads in the sand, family, everyone who benefits by legislation they slip into bills, Dumb Ass Americans.

Given these numbers it would be evident to a sixth grader that Congress and the President should be circulating their resumes and that the American public should do the right thing and vote every single one of them out of office and send them back home where they came from.

In 2012 we need voters and leaders today that have the guts to kick every one of these guys out of their Capitol Hill office. That means voting for candidates not for the color of their skin, not for the party they claim to be a part of, not because they are going to do you a favor.

No. You need to vote for candidates that will do the right thing for the American people and what is right for our Country. Period.

Get the Scoundrels Out!

Gary S. DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Air Heads

The True Spirit of Christmas

Here we are only two days before Christmas and the headlines today included the story of a mad dash to get new Air Jordans at locations from coast to coast. The melee that ensued included the use of pepper spray, gun shots fired at one store, several stores forced to close their doors ... all because the Sheep herded into athletic shoe stores with the intent of a Buffalo Stampede. Who are these Sheep? Hypnotized to a point they loose all sence of decentcy and decorum.

Consumers so focused on being the first to get a pair of basketball shoes that they fail to remember the real meaning of Christmas. All this ruckus to show off or parade down the street in a new pair of shoes that I thought was utilized to play basketball ... not cause consumers to shoot someone over a pair of shoes.

A reminder to those who have forgotten the true meaning of "Christ"mas ...

The story is how one little boy Jesus the son of God was born in Jeruselem on Christmas Day and changed the world. No King, no General, no Prince, no Politician, no President has ever made more of an inpact for the good of man than Jesus.

As the sun sets on Christmas Eve I am hopeful that you and your family have time to enjoy the spirit of giving and unconditional love that is part of the celebration of this season.

Merry Christmas
and May God Bless America.

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Missed Opportunities

As we close the books on 2011 here in Washington, D.C., it’s hard to shake the feeling of disappointment looking back on the many opportunities our leaders missed this year to address the serious fiscal challenges we face.
We continue to lurch toward the end of the year with a national debt of more than $15 trillion, and with no plan to cut that number down to size. And even though we’re in a hole, Congress won’t stop digging a deeper hole—the federal budget deficit in November was $139 billion. Remarkably, this was treated as good news, since it was smaller than last November’s deficit of $150 billion! OMG

Here we are at Christmas and by the end of the year, neither President Obama nor Congress seemed to have much stomach for coming together to address these problems. My children solve issues better than these guys. The president spent the fall pitching tens of billions more in economic stimulus spending, although his last round of economic stimulus (nearly $800 billion) under-performed wildly. They seem perfectly capable of spending taxpayer dollars, yet they lack any ability to even consider saving.
Meanwhile, Congress has become increasingly dysfunctional; members seem to have given up on getting anything done in favor of looking ahead to a contentious 2012 election season and heading to vacation spots around the world. Look out, Nancy Pelosi will be booking a government charter to send her family to Hawaii to join her buddies.
Our leaders had opportunities throughout the year to address the challenges we face, but time and again, they dropped the ball. Since the end of the year is a great time for looking back and making lists, here’s a review of the top five missed opportunities for government spending reform in 2011:

1. Budget? We don’t need no stinkin’ budget! The principal mechanism Congress has for setting national priorities is the federal budget process; in fact, passing a budget is one of the legislative body’s most important duties. But in 2011, as in 2010 and 2009, Congress once again failed to produce a federal budget toguide the government’s spending decisions—an unconscionable dereliction of duty. What if corporate officers of the top 200 businesses failed to propose a budget? I'll tell you what would happen, they'd all be fired.

2. Getting floored by the debt ceiling debate. A summer-long debate over raising the nation’s debt ceiling offered an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to seriously assess the government’s spending trajectory and take action to set the nation on a more sustainable course. But after months of squabbling, a perfectly unsatisfactory compromise emerged to raise the debt ceiling, while punting tough spending reform decisions to later. They chose instead the normal route, bounce the ball down the street for the next Congress to tackle. This led directly to….

3. The crisis of credit confidence. Immediately following the debt ceiling debacle, the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded their rating on U.S. debt for the first time in history—a vote of “no confidence” in the nation’s ability to get its financial affairs in order. I'm actually amazed their wasn't more outcry from the public. But wait ... the rating may well go down another two levels this year.

4. The "Super Committee"? Not so super. As part of the debt ceiling compromise, Congress established a 12-member “Super Committee” charged with reducing the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, with a November deadline to present their plan. The deadline came and passed, but the committee failed to deliver as negotiations deteriorated over disputes over tax hikes and much-needed reforms to entitlements and defense spending. First of all this whole debacle seems unconstitutional and who thought 12 would be a good number?

5. Spending and spending, but without a plan. Washington has proven it can’t prepare and live under a budget, but one thing Congress is good at is spending money right? Not necessarily. Congress is supposed to pass appropriations bills directing how billions in federal funds will be spent in a given fiscal year before October 1 (certain spending categories, like defense, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are automatic and thus exempted from this process). This year, they missed that deadline, yet again. As I write on December 22nd, Congress has only passed three of 12 appropriations bills—more than three months behind schedule.
Following the elections of 2010, which delivered a withering blow to the president’s congressional majorities, many people thought our elected officials might get the message and finally embrace a true commitment to fiscal responsibility—cutting spending and getting the national debt under control. You've got to be kidding me!
Why? Chalk it up to a lack of leadership and responsibility on the part of our elected officials. And while Republicans and Democrats are furiously pointing fingers and playing the blame game, it’s time we hold them all accountable with a simply, three-word demand: “Keep your promises.”
As we wrap up 2011 and survey the wreckage in the nation’s capital, maybe at least a few of our leaders will take those three words to heart and make it their New Year’s resolution for a more constructive, productive 2012. I'm not going to hold my breath! My suggestion ... get the scoundrels out! Every single one of them.

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

The $16 Muffin

Waste and Abuse - Business as usual on Capitol Hill

Where does a muffin cost more than $16 you ask?

Well I'll tell you where - at a government conference hosted by the Justice Department. Even Starbucks muffins are less than two bucks. So it makes me wonder why in this depressed economic environment government agencies continue to waste taxpayer dollars without any limit in site. The muffins were apparently the tip of the iceberg. A recent Justice Department audit found at another conference, lunch was $76 per person and a cup of coffee was $8.24 a cup. Again, you can get a Grande Mocha at Starbucks for less than four bucks. So why is the government spending twice that amount? Don't tell me the competitive bid process yielded a best price of $8.24 for a cup of coffee!

Who are these purchasing agents, managers and directors anyway? Do they realize there is a recession out there? Who do they report to and how long will this abuse of power and wasteful spending continue?

It is relatively easy for American voters to get rid of Congress and elected officials when they are ineffective or they are voting counter to public opinion ... we vote them out of office. But how do we end the abuse of taxpayer dollars by purchasing agents within the hallways of the various agencies of the US Government? Rooting them out by way of an audit is one thing ... but what happens to those staff members who buy a muffin for $16? Do we just simply tell him/her don't do that again or do we fire them? Who is accountable?

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and his Democratic counterpart Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) voiced their concern this week. Grassley said, "Sixteen-dollar muffins and $600,000 for event planning services are what makes Americans cynical about government and why they are demanding change. The Justice Department appears to be blind to the economic realities our country is facing." Leahy added that "wasteful spending is never justified" and that "like all agencies, the Justice Department will be asked to trim its spending."

When the Special Congressional Committee meets soon to review areas where the government could save money I would recommend they reel-in these purchasing agents by requiring them to guarantee the lowest price for every line item on PO's and require the customary bid process (3 sealed bids) for all government spending until they can prove that their spending habits are in line with these requirements.

Makes you wonder why these purchasing agents would buy items that they know are exorbitant and well beyond market price. Do you think they buy muffins at Starbucks for $16 a piece?

Gary S. DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Courtside Diplomacy

Hoyas in Diplomatic Exchange

SETUP FOR DISASTER

OK first of all ... if Joe Biden and Coach John Thompson, III thought for one moment that when they boarded the plane to play China this week in a fair and civil game of basketball; that it would lead to a love fest of diplomacy and end with a hand shake and a kiss on China's home court?  If they truly believed that ... They must have had Jim Jones kool-aid on the plane or they were smoking some great weed.

Now let's review the playing field. We owe China 900 Billion US Dollars, they sell us (American consumers) 600 times more products than we sell to them, their yearly growth is almost at 10 percent (ours is barely 2 percent), they train their basketball players from birth, punish and torture them into submission and finally - winning is more important than owning gold or stealing our secrets. Although they were happy when Pakistan (our buddies) showed China the tail of our Stealth Helicopter we left behind after killing Osama.

So armed with those details which are pretty much common knowledge and accessible in most newspapers and on every network weekly ... why would our VP and the President of Georgetown University consider such a no-win diplomatic farce? Not to mention the deplorable fisticuffs they engaged in at the game. We'll get to that in a moment.

It seems to me if the US and Georgetown University wanted to do something constructive with their summer vacation they should consider one of the following activities:

1. A game between Georgetown Hoyas and Congress to end the debt.

If the Hoyas win ... Congress must pass a balanced budget the following day!

I'd buy a ticket

2. How about a game between the United Nations and the Hoyas?

If the Hoyas win ... all the UN diplomats would have to go home.

The US would save Billions and stop waisting time bickering with Countries who hate us and don't deserve our Money anyway!

OK I know they'd never go for any of those choices but it was worth the "DREAM"

AND WHAT ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP?

Regardless of who threw the first punch or who pushed who, can you imagine if the Georgetown players would have turned their backs and didn't engage - what would the headlines have been? This would have been the noble and honorable thing to do but instead they did what a large percentage of basketball teams in the US would do ... the bench emptied onto the court and they slugged it out!

China media didn't even cover the story. It didn't happen. And even if the State controlled media would have issued a story it would have stated, "Violent American basketball players dishonor America."

Is this behavior common on US pro and college basketball courts? You bet it is. Is it coached or is it managed to a tolerably level? Some would say no to both points.

Coach John Thompson III walked his players off the court after the brawl ... after the damage was done. No one can ever take that back. The scene on the front page of the Post (pictured above) was just as shocking as the lone Chinese man standing in front of the tank in Tienanmen Square decades ago. But what message did it send to the world? And is this the message we want to broadcast abroad?

Gary S. DeMoss

IN MY RIGHT MIND



Political Brinkmanship

political brinkmanship (bringk'men-ship') n  The practice, esp. in politics, of seeking advantage by creating the impression that one is willing and able to pass the brink of default.

Same Procedure, Predicable Results
Einstein once wrote that if you continue to perform the same exercise over and over again you will net the same results.
On Monday in similar fashion to past Congressional last minute theatrical staging, the House and the Senate passed a watered down version of a Bill that would predictably raise the US debt ceiling preventing the catastrophic event the Obama Administration reinforced ... A default of the United States.
For weeks both sides argued over cuts in the Federal Budget but neither side could consider the maverick and visionary cuts from Tea Party Republicans whose cuts would place the US on a path to financial freedom ... ending the cycle of Tax and Spend now in its 5th Decade on the Hill. Although cuts to the Pentagon, Medicare and Entitlement programs were considered ... in the end it was two Senior Senators in closed door sessions that agreed to a lack-luster Bill. Once again they kicked the hard decisions down the Beltway to the next generation to decide. Same good-ole-boy network and our gutless President is too worried about his re-election and his birthday party fundraising to do any thing that would come close to "a positive example" or consider what is best for the American People. Fooey!

Big Deal
Did it prevent Standard and Poor's downgrading the US credit rating from AAA to AA+?
Hell No!
If the Obama Administration and Congress had the balls to make the difficult and necessary decisions to end the spending spree and pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution S&P would have ignored the crisis and left the rating alone. Instead and based on Congress' inability to act in a fiscally and responsible manner; S&P downgraded the US credit rating for the first time in the history of our nation. Congratulations Mr. Obama, Harry Reid and John Bohener! You can now add to your resume one of the most deplorable statistics in our nations history ...

You Raised the Debt ...
Your Bill does nothing to decrease the Deficit.
Our Nation is downgraded for the first time in our Nations history!

Congress you've proved yet again that you can waste time creating political theater and the media will react to your every need. Sadly the majority of America could care less.
Hopefully the few of us that care about our country and know what you just did to the future of US, will react in a way that will punish you for your inability to do your job in a responsible way for the benefit of America. We will vote you out of office.

Please get these guys out of Washington!

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Zero Crude

Call it what you will but one day we will face zero crude oil!

Zero Crude
What kind of world would we face with no crude oil?
And how will we get to that point?

I've been careful to pick my battles but this subject I have an interest in and well ... it effects every person on this planet. Because if we run out of oil one day ... we are in a heap of trouble.

No gas ... nobody gets to work, nobody flys ... chaos!
No oil ... no plastic, no asphalt, no jobs ... mass panic!

So how will we get there?

First route to Zero Crude - we let Obama and his Energy Secretary Chu do nothing.

Which is exactly what is happening. Their energy policy ... let gas get to $10.00 a gallon like Europe and force people to switch to alternatives. What alternatives? The Volt gets 40 miles a charge before it needs gas. That's OK if we have coal to generate the electricity to charge the car (which Obama wants to get rid of too) and the gas which we need for backup.
How about Hydogen Cell technology? The cars cost $50K and up and there is one location in Washington DC to charge your cell. Oh ... and it takes 100 times the electricity to produce a single cell. And if we get rid of coal ... (that provides 60% of the power in this country Mr. Obama) what do we use? Wind Power? Ha!
Have they thought through any of this? I don't think so because the world would be in a massive depression that would make the 1920's look like a blip on the radar.

Second route to Zero Crude - We stop drilling our own oil and rely on the world for our stability.

That is exacly what we are doing now. The current off-shore leases were approved during the Bush administration ... which Obama has tried to take credit for. A typical lease deal takes years to negotiate given the regulation that is in place from guess who? ... The US Government. So even if the current adminstration started allowing off-shore permitting to resume, approving and granting these licenses are years away.
In the meantime, if you haven't heard Mideast Countries are falling like dominos. They hate us and the instability is driving the price of crude through the roof. $150 a barrel for crude is likely by the end of the summer. And if Saudia Arabia falls (who supplies 25% of the world's crude) we are one crisis away from a global meltdown.
What is the current Administration doing about this? Sending the CIA covertly into Lybia and lying to the World that NATO is in charge ... and we are still invloved in endless wars in Afganistan and Iraq till doomsday.

Third route to Zero Crude  - Do nothing.

Didn't I already say that? We need a proactive energy strategy and policies in our government that put our energy independence as the first and only strategy.
If we don't act now  ...we are facing a global meltdown of epic proportions. What if the little oil that is left in the world is the basis for the next war? Will we fight for it or will we let China, Russia or North Korea have it? Don't answer that!

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

Another Bad Idea

No weapons for our Border Patrol Agents?

There seems to be no end to the bad ideas coming out of the White House these days. After a meeting at the White House on Thursday with the Emperor of Mexico ... Obama decides that despite the fact that northern Mexico is the most dangerous place in the world to live, that 35,000 people (including Americans) have been murdered in one year, every local law enforcement official in Mexico is either decapitated or on Cartel payroll ... that our Border Patrol Agents should enter Mexico ... unarmed.

Are you kidding me?

Mexico is a 100 times more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or even a laborer in China ... and our Commander in Chief is sending unarmed American Agents into harms way without protection. All Americans should be outraged.

It's bad enough that the Obama Administration has no strategy to protect our borders and stop the constant flow of violent drug related thugs into our country ... but now he is willing to send officials of our government into a war zone ... unarmed.

If I were a citizen of our southern border states ... California, Texas and Arizona, I would start arming yourselves now ... because if this situation is left unchecked for the rest of Obama's first and only term of office (which is probable) ... the resulting pandemonium will take generations to undo.

What if?

So what would happen if we gave the Secret Service PEZ dispensers instead of weapons to protect the President? Do you think there would be any outrage? Write your Congressman and Senator and tell them to give the Border Patrol their weapons ... or better yet, keep them in America to protect our citizens from the flow of scoundrels from entering our country and stop waisting time in Mexico ... the armpit of the world.

Gary DeMoss
IN MY RIGHT MIND

A Distrubing Trend

Capital One Shootout in broad daylight

This week the Hispanic Bank Robber that held a hostage at gunpoint in Langley Park fled the Capital One branch with dozens of Police at the entrance and a live helicopter recording every move proved one thing to us ... there are desperate illegal aliens willing to risk it all in Wild West fashion on the streets and neighborhoods across America. Fortunately this one ended nicely. While back-peddling the rober slipped, lost grip of his hostage and was duly shot dead at the scene as he tried to recapture his hostage.

This scenario is happening from Juarez to Arizona and straight to our communities here in Maryland. Last year alone over 35,000 people were gunned down in Mexico by the Cartel. Now the statistics show a disturbing trend; as elected officials, police and innocent bystanders have been killed along with American citizens at the border and in our cities and towns here in the United States. Our country is flooded with illegals pouring across our border to murder our citizens, sell drugs to our youth and now rob banks at gunpoint in our neighborhoods. A dangerous trend is occurring right under our noses and yet nothing is being done to stop the madness. The Cartel is here in the US and spreading like Kudsu.

Still we have no clear immigration policy or strategy to seal off our borders and begin to control the flow of people who simply want to come here and perpetrate crimes against our citizens. Sure ... there are decent people who simply want a job and to provide for their families ... but so do honest, law-abiding legal American citizens here in our country. What about our rights?

So When will leaders on Capitol Hill defend our rights?

Leaders on Capitol Hill continue to debate the issue under the heading of Immigration Reform ... but nothing has been done.
I hear talk of Amnesty but what about clearing our streets of the dangerous criminal element from our streets ... first? You may ask ... How do we accomplish this task?
Leaders on Capitol Hill need to begin by securing the border once and for all and control the number of illegal immigrants from reaching our cities and towns and becoming yet another criminal element. Do we really know who enters our country each year? Of the illegals that enter our country; how many are violent criminals? As an example, of the 910 illegals detained in Arizona last year 90% had criminal records and were deported. What about the ones they miss? Where are they? Our citizens will continue to be victims if nothing is done to seal off the border. Congress needs to act now!

A Disturbing Trend

With national unemployment hovering at around 10% ... what is the unemployment rate for illegal citizens in our country? For shift workers or casual laborers that hang out at the Home Depot's and Seven Eleven's that rate could be as high as 25%. And with predictions that the trend will continue for another two years, it may get worse before it gets better. So it is no wonder that crime in the Hispanic sector will continue to rise since the services they provide are expendable in hard times. Desperate times are ahead for many of these illegal aliens who are here in our country illegally, don't speak our language, do not have a job ... and are filling our jails and prisons.

Start Now!

Close the border, seal off the routes into our country and begin to review everyone that enters into our country with fine-tuned legal scrutiny ... selecting only model citizens who seek to come to our country to make our country a better place ... not to sell drugs to our youth, rape our women and rob our banks. What's wrong with that?

Gary DeMoss
In My Right Mind

Unrest in Egypt

Oppression for 30 Years

My picture above was taken where I stood in the desert 20 years ago looking towards Cairo ... standing with my trusty camel and the black Palomino near the base of the Giza Pyramids.
I recall guards at the airport with automatic weapons , 20% unemployment and a country of desperate people ... 40 million under the age of 30 and unemployed.

Today the people have spoken. Oppressed for over 30 years during the rule of Mubarak they are fed up with 40% unemployment and extremely high commodity prices ... they are unable to provide the basics for their families, 70% of the country making on average 4 dollars a day. The media is down, social media and the Internet is off ... Oppression continues.

So What is our Energy Policy with Rogue Nations?

What is even more alarming ... is this situation was predicted long ago and is yet another ticking time bomb that shows how fragile our relationship is in the Mideast with rogue nations who do not have our best interest in mind.
Last week President Obama's Energy Advisor stepped down without establishing a clear energy policy. The Suez canal is now in jeopardy ... Deja Vu all over again. If you remember the Oil Embargo of 1972 and the Gas Lines ... get ready for a long hot summer.
The Obama Administration yet again has waited till a crisis precipitates action instead of developing a proactive strategy to shield the US from events such as what occurred in Egypt this week and the resulting instability in the Oil Markets to come.

We need a Proactive Energy Strategy!

As Crude Oil reaches $100 a barrel and unrest in Egypt escalates ... Iran and Iraq are sitting by cheering-on the events of today. Mubarak unwilling to step down, is now due to appoint a new government on Saturday. The Muslim Majority is sure to take over and form the first Muslim run country. This will create a safe-haven for the Al queda and any other Military Dictatorship run by Muslim Fundamentalists.

Stand-by ... This is a dangerous revolution at its beginnings!

Gary DeMoss
In My Right Mind

Balanced Budget Amendment

An Amendment for Today!
Regardless of which side of the aisle you are on.

I do believe strongly that the United Sates Constitution is the single greatest document in the last 5000 years. Throughout the history of our nation we have only added 27 Amendments to the original document. A testament to the genius of the Authors and Founders and the caution most leaders have exercised in modifying this miraculous document.

But I doubt seriously whether our founders would be pleased at a 14 Trillion Dollar debt. Thomas Jefferson our 3rd President was quoted regarding debt, "

"We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds... [we will] have no time to think, no means of calling our miss-managers to account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers... And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for [another ]... till the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery ... And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."


Two hundred and thirty-five years after the adoption of the Constitution, Congress continues to spend well beyond the revenue generated every year and the deficit is so out of control a Trillion Dollars is added to the deficit each year just to finance (pay) down the interest. Each Congress (now the 112th Congressional Assembly) continues to delay the inevitable and viable solutions to the problem -

1. Cut spending
2. Reduce the size of government
3. And demand a balanced budget.

The 28th Amendment
A Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment

Senator Mike Lee a first term Republican from Utah is gaining support for proposing that Congress adopt and pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.

He's Got My Support!

Congressional Conservatives and Tea Party candidates that were sworn in this month were a result of the will of the American people. They supported candidates that campaigned on advocating a balanced budget. Senator Lee and his supporters agree that runaway spending is out of control and that the only measure that will prevent Congress BY LAW to propose budgets for the year that are balanced is to adopt a Constitutional Amendment that will require them to do so: A necessary formula:

Revenue - Expenses = 0

If we do not achieve this task during this Congress, Our Elected Officials will continue to pass the buck to the next Congress and continue to add debt to generations not yet born. Our grandchildren will be born with such debt, they will be taxed beyond their abilities to pay. Born into a cycle of debt and despair. Is this what we want for our children?

Call your Representatives and Senators today.
Tell them to support and Pass ...

A Balanced Budget Amendment

Gary DeMoss
In My Right Mind

Achieving Your Dreams

Not my words ... but great advice if you are attempting anything.
Click on: Achieving!